Readout Representation: Redefining Neural Codes by Input Recovery

ICLR 2026 Conference Submission16449 Authors

Keywords: neural representation, readout representation, representation size, misrepresentation, neural variability, information recovery, feature inversion, hierarchical models, robust representations, artificial neural networks, biological neural systems

Abstract:

Sensory representation is typically understood through a hierarchical-causal framework where progressively abstract features are extracted sequentially. However, this causal view fails to explain misrepresentation, a phenomenon better handled by an informational view based on decodable content. This creates a tension: how does a system that abstracts away details preserve the fine-grained information needed for downstream functions? We propose readout representation to resolve this, defining representation by the information recoverable from features, rather than their causal origin.
Empirically, we show that inputs can be accurately reconstructed even from heavily perturbed mid-level features, demonstrating that a single input corresponds to a broad, redundant region of feature space, challenging the causal mapping perspective.
To quantify this property, we introduce representation size, a metric linked to model robustness and representational redundancy. Our framework offers a new lens for analyzing how both biological and artificial neural systems learn complex features while maintaining robust, information-rich representations of the world.

Primary Area: applications to neuroscience & cognitive science

Submission Number: 16449